Modified Mondays: Normalizing the Swallow - Where the (bolus) magic happens
Updated: Dec 19, 2022
When thinking about proper bolus formation, we probably all have this image of a nice, organized little ball of perfectly masticated food forming at the midline of the tongue, about halfway back on the hard palate. The truth is, it’s a lot messier in real life. Taking a look at this video clip, we can see our Lead Technician in our CLE team, Bill. He’s a nice, normal fella and happily agreed to eat a cookie on fluoro for me. As he chews it up, he propels it posteriorly, and the bolus is actually the most cohesive closer to the base of tongue. Place of bolus formation can vary by consistency, volume… and from person to person. Keeping this normal variation in mind when assessing a patient is critical to forming appropriate recommendations.